Niko's Stolen Bride (13 page)

“The distress call alerted every vessel in the area. They’ll be lucky to catch anyone unprepared tonight.”

 She sent up a fervent prayer that they would not try to harm anyone else. Turning back to the monitor, she realized the two men were no longer visible on the screen. They must be near the wide sliding doors. Jumping to her feet, she hurried to the pilot house door and jerked it open.

The wild rush of wind greeted her in the main cabin. Half of the tinted glass slider lay scattered across the floor. The curtains billowed out into the night like a flag flying in the breeze of their passage. Glass crunched underfoot as she crossed to slide back the section that was still operational so Niko could half drag, half carry George inside.

Niko’s gaze traveled over her, his eyes a stormy blue, assessing every inch of her in an instant. “You are unhurt?”

She nodded, unable to speak for a few seconds from the rush of tears that clogged her throat. Relief, she assured herself. It was just sheer and utter relief that it was over.

Some of the tension eased from his shoulders. He turned his attention back to George, supporting the other man until they reached the closest sofa, where he lowered him to the cushions.

George landed heavily, slumped there with labored breath. Blood smeared his light tee shirt and the hand clamped over his left arm. He shifted, pushing himself up on one elbow. Kara moved to help him, pulling on his good arm until he was fully upright. Grabbing a couple of the throw pillows, she shoved them into the corner of the sofa to support his back. His eyes met hers, a merry glint in the depths of his darker ones.

“What a trip,” he said, as a huge grin spread across his face. “A good story to tell the ladies at the bars in Miami.” He lifted his hand for a moment to inspect the wound, then reapplied the pressure as blood oozed through his fingers. “They’ll give much attention, yes?”

Kara felt the muscles in her face go slack as her mouth dropped open.

The scrape of glass under Niko’s shoes alerted her that he was beside them. He carried a large rectangular orange bag that he threw down on the low table in front of George.

“If you don’t bleed to death first, fool.”

Kara moved aside so Niko could take her place on the sofa. She retreated to the other side of the coffee table that was fixed to the floor. He removed a dark leather belt from around his waist. The weapon he had used glinted silver in its attached holster. The pistol Eduardo had mentioned. It must be kept somewhere in the main cabin because Niko had not had it on him when he left his room. The sight of it caused her breathing to escalate again, the danger suddenly more valid than it had seemed as she watched it unfold on the camera screen.

Niko unzipped the orange bag and pulled out a medical kit. “Let’s see the damage.”

The younger man shrugged. “It is a scratch. But it will make a beautiful scar.”

She hovered, lacing and unlacing her fingers. “Should we take him to a hospital?”

Niko looked up from where he was searching through the box of medical supplies, a frown between his thick dark brows. “Worried about George?” The tone of his voice was silky, dangerous.

She fled a step under the onslaught of his glare. What was the matter with him? She’d suspected that he had a tough side, but the evidence was daunting. “He’s bleeding everywhere!” she blurted, gesturing toward the spreading track of red down his arm.

He held her gaze for a moment longer before turning back toward the other man. “What do you think, George? Want to go to the hospital where you can charm all the pretty nurses?”

The man’s grin widened. “Yes.”

“Nassau is the closest harbor. We’ll be there in a couple of hours.” Niko ripped open a package of gauze bandaging, then hesitated. “Kara’s right. You’re bleeding pretty badly. Let’s get you down to the galley and clean this up before I bandage it.”

Kara stood aside as Niko helped the injured man to his feet, supporting him with one arm around his waist. She quickly closed the medical kit, stuffed it back into the orange bag and followed. George was pale by the time they reached the galley. He slumped against a stainless steel cabinet and released the grip he had used to keep pressure on the wound. A rush of red drained down his arm and trickled into the sink. The sharp, metallic smell of fresh blood grew strong in the close confines of the small room. Niko seemed unperturbed as he grabbed the sprayer and began cleaning the wound with water.

He nodded toward the counter beside him and she placed the bag there. To distract herself from the sight of the open gash in George’s arm, she laid out the supplies she thought they’d need. The gauze package he’d opened earlier, tape, scissors. She watched for a moment, anxious to help, but nausea curled in her stomach. A low sound escaped her.

Niko turned, his eyes narrowed on her face. “There’s a liquor cabinet upstairs,” he said quietly. “Could you get George something? Whiskey. Vodka. Whatever you find.”

Grateful for a task that took her from the room, she headed toward the stairs. In the main cabin, she caught sight of Eduardo in the pilot house beyond. Knowing he would be worried, she stepped inside to give him a quick update on George’s condition.

“Any sign of the pirates?” She glanced out the front wind screen, her eyes narrowed as she searched for the lights of another ship. The first pale steaks of dawn were just beginning to color the sky.

“Long gone,” he said with warm reassurance in his gravelly voice. “They thought to catch us asleep. Their mistake.”

“We’re lucky you spotted them.”

“Practice,” he acknowledged with a slight grin.

This was no doubt true; still, she couldn’t prevent a shudder at the thought of what could have happened.

By the time she returned to the galley with a bottle of twelve-year-old Scottish whiskey in one hand and three small shot glasses in other, Niko had bound the wound and was washing the remaining streaks of red off his hands and arms. George sat in one of the small chairs, his arm resting on the table that had been extended from its slot in the cabinet. His lips were tinged an ashen color and his eyes were glassy and unfocused. She placed the cut crystal glasses on the table next to him and poured out a drink for each of them. George tossed his back then held out the glass for a refill. The second one quickly followed the first.

“I’d like to lay down now,” he said, his voice edged with fatigue.

Sympathy for the young Greek touched Kara. He had been injured and lost a considerable amount of blood, but it was probably the let-down from the adrenaline rush of danger that sapped his energy now.

She stepped aside as Niko helped the other man the short distance to the cabin furthest from hers. Leaning against the galley cabinet, she tilted whiskey into her mouth, coughing as it burned her throat. She heard Niko’s voice, deep and resonant as he settled George in the bed, speaking to him in Greek.

She listened to the cadence of the words, wishing she knew what he said, wishing he were speaking to her in those soothing tones. As the whiskey and his words worked to calm her nerves, gratitude replaced the fear that had gripped her. Not only was she grateful to be alive, but she was thankful that Niko was unhurt. It wasn’t fear for herself alone that had made the pirate attack so emotional. It was fear for Niko. For a moment, when she’d seen him tackle the intruder and disappear from the screen, she’d thought she’d lost him.

The thought was not to be borne. Distress rose again, and she set the glass back on the counter, turning toward the sleeping cabins.

Niko appeared in the open doorway of the galley, his step sure and strong. Without a word, he reached her side and wrapped his arms around her, pulling her into the heat and security of his body. Surprise held her still for a moment, then she turned her head and pressed her cheek against his shirt, her arms going around his back to return the embrace. The hard muscles of his chest were an unforgiving pillow for her cheek. A shiver ran over her. Whether it was a reaction to the sudden warmth or the incidents of the last hour, she wasn’t sure and didn’t care. Nor did she care that she was being carried to Nassau against her will or that she would never have been involved in this night’s events if she hadn’t been shanghaied. None of that mattered in this moment. It just felt good to be held in his arms.

As he loosened his hold and leaned back, she looked up. With one hand, he brushed back the hair from her forehead as he stared down into her face. She watched him mutely, suddenly aware that she must look a mess. He drew a deep breath that pressed her chest against his and let it out slowly. “I don’t think I’ve ever been so scared.”

She wondered at the rough edge to his voice, so unlike his normal honeyed tones. “You didn’t seem scared. The other men almost seemed to enjoy it,” she said with a touch of accusation.

“They didn’t have as much to lose.”

Kara frowned, pulling back slightly. His embrace relaxed to allow it. “Eduardo told me the
Black Magic
is worth millions of dollars. I can see you wouldn’t want it stolen.”

He was silent for a moment, his lashes falling over his eyes as his face set in rigid lines. “No,” he agreed finally. “I wouldn’t want to lose her.”

Bending, he dropped a quick, hard kiss on her forehead then stepped back. His fingertips drifted down her arm to her hand and he linked their fingers lightly together. “Come. There should be a tarp in the hold. Help me seal up the hole where the glass is broken. Then we will go back to bed.”

“We?” There was something about the way he said the word that sent alarm skittering across her nerves.

Releasing her fingers, he stepped closer. Lifting his hands to clasp both palms against her cheeks, he held her still while his head descended toward her. The touch of his lips was unexpectedly gentle. With unhurried movements, he stroked each corner of her mouth with his own, then her forehead, her cheeks and chin before feathering his lips across hers tenderly.

Kara’s face was sensitive where his lips had touched. Her lips swelled with the need to have his pressed harder against hers. She was playing with fire, but couldn’t seem to stop herself. Her nerves were raw and only Niko’s touch could soothe them. As she felt the knot of tension inside her start to slowly unwind, she didn’t want this closeness to end.

“We.” His voice was gruff, his breath hot against her cheek as he shifted his hands so he could kiss the sensitive spot below her ear. “We will go to bed. Soon.” The word was a promise whispered in her ear. “Our time is short and we have a great deal to learn about each other. I don’t want to waste a minute more.”

When she didn’t respond, he prodded gently, “Don’t you agree?”

Oh yes, she definitely did.

She wasn’t sure if the words actually surfaced as he moved again. One hand cupped her head as he pulled the band from her hair so that it tumbled across her shoulders. The knuckles of his other hand brushed lightly against the skin on her chest, following the outline of her shirt, leaving a trail of awareness in their path. Her breasts felt like they were swelling to meet his touch. As his fingers drifted lower to find the peaks of her nipples through her shirt, he caught her mouth with his.

She opened to him, wanting the intimate contact, needing to feel the soft graze of his tongue against hers. He tasted of whiskey and his own indefinable male essence. In seconds, she was lost in sensation. There was only Niko. The heat of his hands on her and the scent of his body filled her mind, replacing any lingering fear. He deepened the kiss, drawing her into his mouth, his taste enticing her into response.

His warm hands were everywhere, along the curve of her thigh, sliding under the edge of her shirt to caress the skin of her stomach. Her muscles clenched in response and her breath almost stopped as he broke the kiss and leaned back to push the shirt up further, baring her breasts to his gaze. Embarrassment flooded her, only to be stopped by his soft words.

“You’re beautiful,” he whispered. “Perfect.”

His head dipped and he fastened his mouth over one erect peak, wetting it then blowing across it so that it hardened even further. She moaned in protest when he moved away, but he only switched his focus to the other one, giving it the same attention. Taking her mouth in a hard kiss, he flicked the pads of his thumbs across her damp nipples. Pleasure rocked her, taking her exactly where she wanted to go, into a state of forgetfulness.